Shear and breaker means for briquetting apparatus

ABSTRACT

A shear and breaker structure for use with a briquet forming construction comprising opposed briquetting means adapted to produce a sheet consisting of at least two rows of briquets. The shear means operate to divide the sheet into strips with each strip consisting of at least one row of briquets. The shear means consist of opposed, stationary members, positioned in side-byside relationship with each having a bearing surface for engaging the sheet. The stationary members define an open mouth with the bearing surfaces tapering towards each other to form a throat or juncture. The tapering surfaces thereby divert the briquet strips in different directions upon separation of the sheet at the juncture of the stationary members. Knife edges are formed in the stationary members to facilitate the separation. The bearing surfaces define a pronounced outwardly extending portion beyond the juncture which serves to produce longitudinal stress in the briquet strips thereby creating fracture between the individual briquets to divide the strips into individual briquet portions.

United States Patent Harris July 18, 1972 [$4] SHEAR AND BREAKER IWEANS FOR BRIQUE'ITING APPARATUS [72] Inventor: LeRoy S. Harris, Rolling Meadows, Ill. [73] Assignee: K-G Industries, Inc., Rosemont, Ill.

[22] Filed: Jan. 4, 1971 [21] App1.No.: 103,612

[52] U.S. C1 ..425/3l4, 225/99, 264/118, 18/9 [51] Int. Cl. ..B29c 3/02 [58] Field oISearch ..18/9, 21;83/l05,425; 225/99; 264/1 18 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,058,891 10/1962 Hoffman et al. ..l8/21 X 3,075,243 1/1963 Shipley et a1 .18/21 X 3,300,815 1/1967 Rohaus et al. 18/21 3,541,974 11/1970 Atkins .18/21 X 3,593,378 7/1971 Metrailer a ..l8/21 Primary Examiner-Robert L. Spicer, Jr. Attorney-McDougall, Hersh & Scott [57] ABSTRACT A shear and breaker structure for use with a briquet forming construction comprising opposed briquetting means adapted to produce a sheet consisting of at least two rows of briquets. The shear means operate to divide the sheet into strips with each strip consisting of at least one row of briquets. The shear means consist of opposed, stationary members, positioned in side-by-side relationship with each having a bearing surface for engaging the sheet. The stationary members define an open mouth with the bearing surfaces tapering towards each other to form a throat or juncture. The tapering surfaces thereby divert the briquet strips in difi'erent directions upon separation of the sheet at the juncture of the stationary members. Knife edges are formed in the stationary members to facilitate the separation. The bearing surfaces define a pronounced outwardly extending portion beyond the juncture which serves to produce longitudinal stress in the briquet strips thereby creating fracture between the individual briquets to divide the strips into individual briquet portions.

9 5 DIIWIINI cures Patented July 18, 1972 2 Sheets-Sheet l 21 NVSENTOE 0 07715 SHEAR AND BREAKER MEANS FOR BRIQUETTING APPARATUS This invention is directed to a briquet forming construction. The invention is particularly concerned with a shear and breaker structure operating to divide sheets of briquets into strips, and strips into individual briquets.

In some constructions, the briquetting rolls define opposed pockets so that the resulting briquets have substantially the same contour on both sides. Other roll designs, for example as shown in Klugh, et al. US. Pat. No. 2,262,246, provide roll designs which produce briquets having a substantially flat sur face on one side. In either of these arrangements, one or several rows of briquets may be formed.

At the conclusion of the forming operation, means may be provided for separating the product of the press into individual briquets. Thus, the briquets may be delivered in sheet form, and breaker means, for example as described in Rohaus US. Pat. No. 3,300,815 are then utilized to provide individual pieces whereby handling and use of the briquets is facilitated.

Problems have resulted in prior art shear and breaker constructions largely because of the conditions of operation. Briquetting operations almost invariably result in the presence of a substantial amount of dust which will lead to maintenance problems where any moving parts are involved. In addition, many briquetting operations are carried out at elevated temperatures and, therefore, structures having moving parts are difficult to properly maintain because of lubrication problems, expansion problems, etc.

It is a general object of this invention to provide an improved arrangement for the production of briquets whereby individual briquets can be efficiently manufactured.

It is a more specific object of this invention to provide briquetting equipment suitable for the formation of briquets in sheet form, means for shearing the sheet into individual strips, and means for breaking the strips into individual briquets, all of these operations being undertaken in a highly efficient fashion.

These and other objects of this invention will appear hereinafter and for purposes of illustration, but not of limitation, specific embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary, elevational view of briquetting rolls having a shear and breaker mechanism associated therewith;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the shear and breaker mechanism of this invention;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the shear and breaker construction;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the blade portions of the shear and breaker construction; and,

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view of a typical sheet of briquetted material as it appears prior to the shearing and breaking operations of the invention.

This invention generally relates to a briquet forming construction wherein material is fed between opposed forming means and is pressed into sheet fonn. The sheet comprises a plurality of rows of briquets with interconnecting web portions. The particular improvement of the invention concerns shear means employed for dividing the sheet into a plurality of strips comprising at least one row of briquets. After the formation of individual strips, the construction of this invention operates to break the strips into individual briquets.

The drawings illustrate the devices employed for producing the individual briquets as well as the design for the sheet of briquets formed by the briquetting means. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the bn'quetting means may comprise a pair of rolls l0 and 12 defining, respectively, pockets l4 and 16. The pockets in one roll are situated opposite a smooth surface portion in the opposing roll so that briquet sheets of the type illustrated will be produced. These sheem comprise outwardly extending portions 18 which constitute the main body of the briquets. The sheet surface opposite these body portions is smooth to provide a flat side 20 for each briquet. Web portions 22 serve to hold the briquets together.

The shear means of this invention consists of opposed stationary members positioned in side-byside relationship with each having a bearing surface for engaging the sheet of briquets. The stationary members define an open mouth with the bearing surfaces tapering inwardly to form a throat or juncture. The tapering bearing surfaces operate to divert the briquet strips in different directions upon separation of the sheet at the throat of the stationary members. Knife edges are formed in the stationary members to facilitate this separation.

Beyond the throat, the bearing surfaces define a pronounced outwardly extending portion which serves to produce longitudinal stress in the briquet strips. This stress creates fracture lines between the individual briquets and the bending of the strips which results as the strips pass beyond the outwardly extending portion of the bearing surface serves to divide the strips into individual briquets.

Referring to the drawings, the embodiment of the invention shown comprises a briquet shear and breaker structure 24 having four upwardly extending bearing members 26 with the upper ends of two of the bearing members being positioned on each side of a vertical line drawn between the mating surfaces of the briquetting rolls l0 and 12. Each of the members 26 defines a bearing surface 28 which engages a flat side 20 defined by the sheet of briquets.

The bearing surfaces 28 taper downwardly and inwardly and then cross the vertical line referred to. This creates three junctures of the bearing surfaces, these junctures being formed at the points where the bearing surfaces overlap. The edges of the members 26 are preferably sharpened to provide knife-like areas, at least at the location of these junctures.

Beyond the bearing surfaces 28, a distinct bend 29 is defined by the members 26. Each of the briquets in a separated strip is driven so that it will be maintained in contact with the member 26 including the surface 31 located immediately beyond each bend 29.

The members 26 are provided with a base 30 which is secured by means of bolts 32 to a transversely extending bed 34. This bed is in turn secured by bolts 36 to pillars 38 whereby substantial support for the bed 34 will be provided. A transversely extending frame structure 40 is welded beneath the bed 34 to provide a brace against any tendency toward bending of the bed. Cooling conduits 42 are defined by the bed 34 so that the bed can be maintained at a relatively low temperature which will also reduce any tendency toward bending of the bed. If desired, these conduits can extend into the members 26 so that dimensional changes and other problems resulting from excess temperature can be minimized.

In the operation of the structure illustrated, the strip of briquets formed between rolls l0 and 12 is driven vertically downwardly so that the sheet will be received in the throat defined between the members 26. By extending these members 26 upwardly in the manner shown, a sufiicient opening is provided for insuring the entry of this sheet between these members. The surfaces 28 are dimensioned so that the three interior web portions 22 of the briquet sheet will be aligned with the junctures between the members 26. Because of this alignment, the cutting edges defined by the members 26 will operate to separate the sheet into four individual strips.

The separation results due to the fact that a substantial longitudinal force is applied to the sheet by the briquetting rolls. Thus, vertical pressure forces the sheet downwardly into engagement with the shearing blades provided by the members 26, and it has been found that by properly bracing these members in the manner of this invention, a highly effective means for achieving separation is provided.

The longitudinal force or pressure which is applied to the sheet of briquets will not operate to divide the sheet into individual briquets. It is believed, however, that this longitudinal force does serve to develop minute cracks in the sheet. The construction of this invention takes advantage of this by providing a substantial bend 29 in each of the bearing surfaces 28. Accordingly, each strip which is separated by the blades will be driven into engagement with the portion of each bear' ing member located immediately beyond the bend in the bear ing surface.

Upon separation, the longitudinal pressure is instantaneously relieved and the cracks referred to apparently develop at this time due to the rapid change in the forces present. As is best illustrated in FIG. 1, after separation, the briquet strips are driven against the surface 31 beyond the bend 29. At this point, a relatively high bending force will be applied and is, in fact, concentrated at the web portions between the individual briquets in a strip. This bending force therefore splits the briquets into individual pieces.

The structure described has been found to be highly effective for the separation of the strips into individual briquets. It is believed that the bending forces developed are fully sufficient to create fracture between the individual briquets, and this may be largely due to the presence of the minute cracks which are created because of the force applied by the briquetting rolls, and because of the rapid removal of the force at the time of separation. It is quite likely that these minute cracks are present in the sheet prior to separation into strips but at any rate, these cracks are formed at some point prior to bending of the strips thereby providing for the formation of the individual briquets.

In typical operations, the thickness of the web portions in the compacted sheet will range between one thirty-second and three-fourths inches. This thickness depends upon the gap between the rolls which is largely determined by the hydraulic cylinders or springs which act upon the rolls whereby variations in the gap are possible, including variations which might occur during a briquetting operation when the pressure between the rolls increases due to changes in the consistency of the material.

The invention contemplates the briquetting of a wide variety of materials including aluminum, brass, stainless steel, steel and iron ore in the form of fines, chips or tumings. The use of water cooling in the manner illustrated is particularly necessary when the material being handled is briquetted at elevated temperatures which may reach l ,500 F. It will be ap preciated that the water cooling channels in the supporting frame are not required where the briquetting operation is carried out at ambient temperatures.

The members 26 may be made of any material which will withstand the operating conditions such as structural carbon or stainless steel having a hard wearing surface. The cutting edges on the members 26 can be separate pieces, particularly if harder materials such as carbide pieces are used for the cutting edges. These pieces may also be bolted on or otherwise removably attached to the members 26 so that worn pieces can be replaced.

The illustrated structure is particularly suitable for a briquetted sheet of the type illustrated in FIG. 5 since the open mouth defined between the members 26 insures entry of the sheet between the members and avoids jamming and clogging problems. By providing flat surfaces in the sheet for engagement with the members 26, a particularly smooth operation is achieved with the separation of the sheet into strips occurring with surprising efficiency. It will be appreciated, however, that the surfaces of the members 26 could be provided with a concave curvature whereby the briquet bodies 18 could be formed across the sheet on both sides.

The design of the members 26 allows them to be located in very close proximity to the briquetting rolls whereby there is a relatively short distance between the nip of the rolls and the junctures between the members 26. This serves to reduce any possibility of buckling of the sheet which might otherwise occur because of the presence of the longitudinal forces developed in the sheet. If necessary, stripper blades may be employed to insure separation of the sheet from the briquetting rolls and to also assist in maintaining the sheet in proper alignment so that buckling cannot occur.

It will be understood that various changes and modifications may be made in the above described construction which provide the characteristics of this invention without departing from the spirit thereof particularly as defined in the following claims.

THAT WHICH IS CLAIMED IS:

1. In a briquetting construction wherein material is fed between opposed briquet forming means and is thereby formed into a sheet comprising a plurality of rows of briquets and interconnecting web portions, the improvement comprising means for dividing the sheet of briquets into individual strips comprising at least one row of briquets, said dividing means comprising a plurality of bearing members having hearing surfaces extending on opposite sides of a plane defined by the path of movement of the sheet, said bearing surfaces being laterally spaced whereby each is aligned with a row of briquets, and said bearing surfaces tapering inwardly towards each other and passing through said plane whereby junctures are formed between the bearing members, the movement of said sheet into engagement with said bearing members at said junctures operating to shear the sheet into individual strips, and wherein said bearing surfaces bend outwardly beyond said junctures whereby each strip is forced against the outwardly extending portions to create a bending action in the strips whereby the strips are separated into individual briquets.

2. A construction in accordance with claim 1 wherein said bearing members define an open mouth portion substantially greater than the width of said sheet to thereby insure entry of the sheet between the bearing members,

3. A construction in accordance with claim 2 including knife edges formed in said bearing members at least in the area of said junctures.

4. A construction in accordance with claim 2 wherein said briquet forming means comprise briquetting rolls having means for feeding material to the nip of the rolls, and wherein the upper edges of said bearing members are located im mediately adjacent the periphery of said briquetting rolls to thereby minimize the distance between the nip of the rolls and said junctures.

5. A construction in accordance with claim 4 including a transversely extending support for said bearing members, said support operating to hold said bearing members in position in opposition to the longitudinal forces developed in said sheet between the nip of said rolls and said junctures.

6. A construction in accordance with claim 5 including means for circulating a cooling medium in said support to thereby maintain the support and the bearing members associated therewith at a lower temperature relative to the temperature of the sheet being delivered to the bearing members.

7. A construction in accordance with claim 4 wherein said briquetting rolls each define pockets and flat areas, the flat areas of one roll being located in opposing relationship relative to the pockets of the other roll when the flat areas and pockets are at the nip of the rolls, and wherein said bearing members are positioned to engage the flat side of the sheet formed by the briquetting rolls, with the sheet portions formed by the pockets of the rolls moving in the spaces defined between bearing members opposite the members engaging the sheet.

8. A construction in accordance with Claim 7 wherein said sheet includes web portions extending longitudinally of the sheet between rows of briquets and wherein the longitudinal web portions of the sheet are aligned with said junctures.

9. A construction in accordance with Claim 8 including transversely extending web portions defined between individual briquets, and wherein said strips bend about said transverse web portions so that the strips separate in these areas. 

1. In a briquetting construction wherein material is fed between opposed briquet forming means and is thereby formed into a sheet comprising a plurality of rows of briquets and interconnecting web portions, the improvement comprising means for dividing the sheet of briquets into individual strips comprising at least one row of briquets, said dividing means comprising a plurality of bearing members having bearing surfaces extending on opposite sides of a plane defined by the path of movement of the sheet, said bearing surfaces being laterally spaced whereby each is aligned with a row of briquets, and said bearing surfaces tapering inwardly towards each other and passing through said plane whereby junctures are formed between the bearing members, the movement of said sheet into engagement with said bearing members at said junctures operating to shear the sheet into individual strips, and wherein said bearing surfaces bend outwardly beyond said junctures whereby each strip is forced against the outwardly extending portions to create a bending action in the strips whereby the strips are separated into individual briquets.
 2. A construction in accordance with claim 1 wherein said bearing members define an open mouth portion substantially greater than the width of said sheet to thereby insure entry of the sheet between the bearing members.
 3. A construction in accordance with claim 2 including knife edges formed in said bearing members at least in the area of said junctures.
 4. A construction in accordance with claim 2 wherein said briquet forming means comprise briquetting rolls having means for feeding material to the niP of the rolls, and wherein the upper edges of said bearing members are located immediately adjacent the periphery of said briquetting rolls to thereby minimize the distance between the nip of the rolls and said junctures.
 5. A construction in accordance with claim 4 including a transversely extending support for said bearing members, said support operating to hold said bearing members in position in opposition to the longitudinal forces developed in said sheet between the nip of said rolls and said junctures.
 6. A construction in accordance with claim 5 including means for circulating a cooling medium in said support to thereby maintain the support and the bearing members associated therewith at a lower temperature relative to the temperature of the sheet being delivered to the bearing members.
 7. A construction in accordance with claim 4 wherein said briquetting rolls each define pockets and flat areas, the flat areas of one roll being located in opposing relationship relative to the pockets of the other roll when the flat areas and pockets are at the nip of the rolls, and wherein said bearing members are positioned to engage the flat side of the sheet formed by the briquetting rolls, with the sheet portions formed by the pockets of the rolls moving in the spaces defined between bearing members opposite the members engaging the sheet.
 8. A construction in accordance with Claim 7 wherein said sheet includes web portions extending longitudinally of the sheet between rows of briquets and wherein the longitudinal web portions of the sheet are aligned with said junctures.
 9. A construction in accordance with Claim 8 including transversely extending web portions defined between individual briquets, and wherein said strips bend about said transverse web portions so that the strips separate in these areas. 